


Something Else

by reality0junkie



Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-06
Updated: 2011-08-06
Packaged: 2017-10-22 06:49:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/235088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reality0junkie/pseuds/reality0junkie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe it's a dream, but maybe, just maybe it's actually real.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Else

There are three things on Jack’s mind as he wakes up that morning. One, he really should be thinking about taking a shower. Two, headaches are a bitch and three, where the hell did he leave his clothes last night?

“Jack! Don’t tell me you’re not up yet?”

His first thought is to tell the person to shut, and the second- well he’s not sure he gets past a third or second thought when he realizes who is talking to him. It’s Ianto. He’s alive. But that can’t be possible. It can’t because Ianto’s dead. He died months ago. He saw him die..

“Who are you?” Jack demands. He stands up quickly, it doesn’t matter that he’s stark naked or that man before him looks exactly like Ianto. He’s still Captain Jack Harkness.

The man looks puzzled, genuinely puzzled. “What are you talking about?” Jack curses. He needs his gun. “Jack? Are you all right? Do you want some coffee?” The way he says it sounds so much like Ianto, it makes Jack want to cry a little.

“I repeat- Who are you?” he practically growls. He’s not going to be fooled. He mentally runs through a list of things this man could be. The man shakes his head and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like ‘drunken idiot,” before he leaves the room. It sort of starts to occur to Jack, that maybe he’s dreaming. The man that’s Ianto, he obviously didn’t try anything, practically harmless. He’s dreaming and he’ll be waking up sooner or later.

The best thing to do whilst dreaming is to enjoy said dream and enjoying is what Jack does best. Though he does die quite nicely, most of the time when he’s not being suffocated or buried alive. He straightens himself. Then he searches for his clothes. They’re folded neatly at the top of a desk. Ianto’s always been a neat freak, it’s only fair for dream Ianto to also be a neat freak, right? He figures he might as well get out there, before he starts to think too much. He tends to do that; overthink things. The room is filled with the aroma of coffee, it hits him with such familiarity that he staggers back. Feels like he’s drowning, but if this is what drowning feels like, then he never wants to step foot on land ever again.

“Ianto-” he breathes out. He stares at the figure by the sink, watches the shadow fall over him and for a moment he contemplates what everything means. -He’s an idiot for taking Ianto for granted. -He’s being punished. -This is an hallucination. He knew he shouldn’t have taken that drink from the sexy bartender. Bartenders are his weakness, that and he was already half drunk from his earlier binge. -This is real and everything that happened, the children, their deaths, Ianto.. it was all a dream. Jack can say that he rather likes that last option. But he can’t say that it’s true. The mind is a tricky thing, indeed.

“Feeling better?” Jack turns his attention back to Ianto and nods. He makes sure to add a grin. “Of course,” he adds before walking over to Ianto and grabbing him from behind.

“Jack!” Ianto practically squeaks. Jack had almost forgotten how much he loved to see Ianto squirm. A couple of months feels like an eternity. He really hates being immortal. “Are you going to let me go anytime soon?” Ianto sounds amused, and Jack can just imagine him.

Jack smirks. “Nope.” Now this is what he calls enjoying himself. Ianto laughs and Jack drinks it all in. He treasures it. For a second he closes his eyes and rests his head against Ianto’s shoulder. He thinks that this is what love feels like. He likes it.

“You wanna go out?” he asks on impulse, pulling away and already missing the contact.

Ianto turns around with a puzzled expression. “We have a job?”

Jack shakes his head. “No. Just you and me… together.” “Together? Like dinner?” Ianto asks cautiously.

Jack hates that; hates that he couldn’t love Ianto properly. That he couldn’t be what Ianto needed. “Yes, so what do you say?”

It takes a moment for Ianto to respond, for him to give Jack a curt nod. He walks away but not before turning to say, “You’re paying.”

Captain Jack Harkness laughs. He loves this. If dinners are anything to go by, then this one is a success. Jack would know, he’s had a lot of dinners. Ianto is bright and cheeky. His eyes are lit up with laughter. A man could get used to this. He tries to memorize everything, from the way Ianto chews leisurely to the way he keeps shooting Jack amused grins. It feels engraved, something Jack won’t be forgetting, even after thousands of years.

On the way back to Ianto’s apartment, a call comes in. Jack ignores it, too caught up in the way Ianto feels against him. They barely make it inside before their clothes are coming off and their lips are crashing together.

“I love you Ianto Jones,” Jack whispers against Ianto’s lips. The best thing is that he really means it. He couldn’t say it before when Ianto was dying. He was too paralyzed by Ianto’s own confession and maybe he was just a coward. But now he’s not going to waste the opportunity. He loves Ianto Jones and he’s not going to let him go. Not this time.

Ianto smiles against him before replying. “I love you, too, Jack Harkness.” Jack presses his lips forward and he kisses Ianto for all he’s worth. It’s so real that Jack can’t imagine this being a dream. He can’t because that would be a cruel reality. He could do this forever.

 _“He’s not coming back,” whispers Gwen. Rhys closes his arms around her, there’s not much he can do to comfort her. “Someday,” he says. Though it would be like Jack to sleep for eternity. Gwen nods before leaning down to touch Jack’s cheek. There’s a hint of a smile on his face, and Gwen hopes that wherever he is- that he’s happy. Jack deserves that._


End file.
